Awake
by EllieT33
Summary: The Once and Future King is going to Uni. How will the Round Table Knights deal the the evil coming around the corner. What other surprises are in store for our heros?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer I do not own Merlin

London 4:38:28 am 9/16/19

"Fuck" he shouted as he shot up in bed. It was the fifth strange dream he'd had this week. They had been so vivid, more like memories than just dreams. The first dream took place in a tavern.

_He handed a large bald man a pewter mug, and then immediately punched him in the face. And like most of Gwaine's visits to taverns, chaos ensued. Halfway through the fight he walked up to the bar and asked behind it for a jug._

_"What do they call you then?" He asked the stranger in front of him._

_"Merlin." The slight man with the raven hair replied quizzically._

_"__Gwaine, nice to meet you? He replied shaking the other man's hand._

_Gwaine took a swig from the clay pot turned around and smashed it over a burly man's head._

_"__Such a waste" was the last thing he remembered of that dream._

_More than one of the dreams had started with fighting, whether it was in some old bar with fists, or in battle with a sword. Each dream became more vivid, and he began to recognize the people who starred in theses dreams. For instance, Percival and Leon two of his best friends and colleagues. The Prince Arthur, who he and the lads were tasked with guarding. And a man who looked almost gaunt with deep blue eyes, the man "Merlin" was in every one of these dreams except for the tonight. _The latest was the only one, that was more nightmare than dream.

_A woman in black with crazed eyes and wild hair tortured him. He was on verge of death when his brother in arms came up to him._

_"__She's planning for Avalon." He croaked barely able to speak._

_"__Gwaine,"__Percival said urgently._

_"__I failed." He whispered softly as he took his last breath._

_"__Gwaine! Gwaine!" were the last words he registered before he had shot out of bed._

London 4:38:29 am 9/16/19

"Gwaine!" Percival shot up in bed and looked directly into the eyes of his best friend from across the room. Percival wasn't one to dream and when he did, he never remembered the next morning. However, for the past 5 days he had been plagued by dreams of what seemed to be a former life. None of the dreams were particularly pleasant, but none shook him to the core like the one he just awoke from.

_Percival was pulling at the ropes that tied him to two small trees. After about a minute of pulling he broke free. He rushed towards his friend, no more like his brother. He took the rugged man's head in his hands trying to catch his eye._

_"__She's planning for Avalon." Gwaine croaked barely able to speak finally looking into his eyes._

_"__Gwaine?"__he asked urgently._

_"__I failed." whispered softly as he took his last breath._

_"__Gwaine! Gwaine! GWAINE!" he shouted and a guttural roar of pure hatred and despair and everything awful that he felt in that moment. He had lost almost everyone who had ever been close to him. He had no clue where the King or Queen was, Leon was the last of the round table knights he'd seen alive. And gods help him if they were gone there's no way Merlin could've survived. Percival felt tears running down his cheeks as he let his forehead drop to his fallen friend's._

And with that he woke up. So, there he was sitting up in his almost too small bed in the dorm room at the Albion University. The bed he'd be stuck sleeping in for the next four years, while Arthur got his degree. Overall it wasn't a bad deal. He got paid for looking after Arthur and got an education paid for by the Crown. Arthur had 3 bodyguards for his time in university, Gwaine, Leon, and himself. When he thought about going to University as a high school student, he didn't think he would major in International Public Relations. That being said, part of the job was to follow Arthur around at all times. Which meant all the same classes, and extra-curricular activities.

"What did I die in your dream too?" Gwaine asked with a sarcastic smirk.

"Yes." Percy deadpanned still trying to get over the nightmare he just woke up from.

"Wait… What?"

London 4:38:30 am 9/16/19

Arthur opened his eyes unsure if it was due to the dream or the face that he could hear Percy and Gwaine yelling in the room next door. It was a dream he'd had many times over the years, and even more lately. He began having "round table" dreams as he liked to refer to them, for years now. Which is why when he was picking who would go to Uni with him, he chose Leon, Percival, and Gwaine. Now that he was awake, he could feel a crackling in the air. He closed his eyes again trying to get a couple more hours of sleep and trying to forget his last life's last words.

_"__Thank you"_

London 4:38:29 am 9/16/19

Leon sat outside Arthurs dorm room keeping watch it, was his third night in a row but he didn't complain. Turns out you don't need much sleep when you are immortal. It also doesn't help you know that some unspeakable evil is coming. Eighteen years ago, he learned of Prince Arthur's birth, and every day since he's felt a little bit more anxious. Over the ages he'd wondered if Arthur would come back, he lost faith in the Future bit of 'Once and Future King,' about five hundred years into waiting. Of course, he ran into Merlin every couple of decades. Unlike Leon, Merlin wasn't immortal, Merlin had a habit of reincarnation. He was never quite the same as the bumbling servant he had been when Arthur had been King, but his eyes never changed. Deep blue that would flash to gold when others weren't looking. Leon hadn't seen him in about twenty years, but he was almost certain he would be seeing him soon.

London 4:35:02 am 9/16/19

"Bloody hell!" She was late again, she was sure that she was going to be fired, something she could not afford now that she was in Uni. She tapped her feet staring at her watch, willing the bus to go faster.

"A young lady like you shouldn't be yelling obscenities" an old man said from across the way. The saying 'Looks could kill' definitely applied at that precise moment.

"Bugger off." She replied getting a small sense of satisfaction from the scandalized look the man had on his face.

The bus stopped and she looked at her watch 4:38 am. She got off the bus stepped onto the University campus running to the Café/bookshop. She had to stop in her tracks she felt a strong ripple go through her.

"He's here." She whispered to herself and her eyes got wide. "Finally."

She walked through the door praying to the gods that she wouldn't be fired.

"4:44 Lynn, cutting it extremely close today aren't we." Freya her assistant manager/friend said knowingly. She just winced and tried to smile then put her apron on to get ready for the day.

_He's back, I'm ready for anything._


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: IDOM

When Merlynn woke up this morning she knew she had to dress both for work and for her first day of school. While she knew that Arthur would be attending Uni at AU, but there was no knowing if she would see him on their first day. She decided to wear a plain blue skater dress (with pockets!) Her brown leather jacket, worn ankle boots, and a red necklace giving a nod to her former penchant for wearing neckerchiefs. She put a merlin shaped pewter clip in her hair that her grandmother gave her, picked up her messenger bag with all her things and headed out the door in a rush.

At 8 in the morning she walked into her first class of the day, Medieval Lit, and sat down in the third row from the back of the lecture hall. The room looked like it sat about 60-ish, but it looked like it'd be only half full. She was getting her notebook and pencils out when she heard a commotion coming from the door.

"Gwaine! Get your butt in here, I'm not going to be late for our first class because you are hitting on some poor girl." An exasperated voice she recognized to be Percival. And her heart stopped, she had only expected Arthur to come back not his knights as well. She knew she'd have Leon and Freya, but they are immortal. While she was extremely excited that her friends had to come back as well, she couldn't help but wonder who else would show up.

She turned to the door and she saw four men shuffling through. It took everything in her not to run up and hug them, and then she saw him. His golden hair cut shorter than it had been in their first lives, he had the same blue eyes and was wearing a Pendragon red t-shirt.

She had to remind herself to breathe, she had waited hundreds of lives, well over a thousand years. She was always born with the innate knowledge of her destiny and for some reason, probably magic, she always remembered past lives. When Leon drank from the cup of life it made him immortal, a fact that he realized during the Battle of Camlann. She ran into him at least once every life, he even spent one raising her after she'd been orphaned. Excluding Arthur, she considered him to be her best friend. So as soon as he walked in the door, she lost the battle with the smile she had been fighting. She turned her head to the front of the room as the professor came into the room.

"Hello Class, my name is Dr. John Garrah, I will be teaching Lit103 also known as Medieval Literature. If you are in the wrong class now would be the time to leave, all others let's begin." There was something about her professor's voice that was familiar, she couldn't understand why. A minute later he began asking everyone their favorite work from, or about the Medieval time period. When he pointed at her and asked her the question.

"Your favorite works Miss…?" his light brown eyes staring her down, more intense than the situation warranted.

"Lynn Emrys, Le Morte de Arthur, I'm a sucker for a good Arthurian story." She replied. She could feel four new sets of eyes staring at her.

"Why don't I find that surprising, Miss Emrys?" he responded with a cryptic smirk. He looked at the clock on the back of the wall and said "Well, unfortunately time is up. Your first assignment is to write a 2000-word essay on the Medieval piece you chose to share with us today. See you on Wednesday." And with that Dr. Garrah picked up his books and left.

She waited until the 'Knights' left, making a mental note to get Leon alone at some point she hadn't seen him since 1986 but he'd still be the only one able to recognize her female form.

—

She walked into her bio-chem class and sat down at an empty table that sat four. She began to unpack her book bag and looked up to a pair of deep blue eyes. She had to stop herself from smiling like it was Christmas. She'd waited for him, almost a millennium and a half. The other side of her coin...

"I'm going to need you to move." Arthur demanded haughtily. And with that her happiness died replaced with annoyance.

"Excuse me?" She asked incredulously.

"Move." He repeated with an impatient tone.

"Such a Prat." She said under her breath knowing he could hear her.

"What did you just call me?" His impatience morphing into anger.

"I'm sorry that was rude of me," she started in. A sickly-sweet voice "You're such a prat, your highness."

Arthur's face had turned pendragon red and was silently seething. Leon tried to cover up his laugh with a cough, the exchange reminded him of the first time the pair had met.

"There's a seat at that table over there, I'm sure they wouldn't mind you sitting there. Plus, I'd be happy to keep your attractive friends' company." She continued baiting him.

He scoffed sat down and motioned Gwaine and Percy to sit with him and sent Leon to the table directly in front of them.

The professor entered, and Lynn was pleasantly surprised. "Hello Students, my name is Dr. Harold Gaius. I will be teaching year one Bio-Chem. Look at the person beside you, they will be your Lab Partner for the semester. Now if you would be so kind as to each call out your name so I can copy down the seating chart. Helps me remember names and keep track on grading. Let's start with the table in the back-left corner." She hadn't realized how much she had missed him until she heard his voice.

"Gwaine Harrison" the rugged man introduced himself. "Eugene Percival" the large man replied, his first name was rather embarrassing, but no one would dare to make fun of him.

"Arthur Pendragon," The prince said in a regal voice and an impassive expression.

"Lynn Emrys" she replied with a small grin.

"I'm sorry there isn't a Lynn on my roster are you sure you're in the right class?" Dr. Gaius asked concerned.

"I'm sorry, it must be under my full name. Merlynn Emrys. Sorry for the confusion." She replied. And her grin turned into a smirk as she watched her table mate's jaws drop. Gaius just smiled as if he expected that reaction, which she thought he probably did.

The rest of the class called out their names and Dr. Gaius began the lecture.

Percival was the first for it to click, she looked into his eyes and immediately she knew he knew. Percy had always been the quiet one, but quiet didn't mean he was stupid. She watched as his memories from a whole previous life hit him like a ton of bricks. After a couple of minutes, he squeezed her hand since he couldn't give her a bear hug.

Gwaine was the second to get his memories back he looked her in the eyes and remembered everything. It took everything in him to avoid jumping up to hug his best friend, who was apparently a girl now. Instead he gave Lynn the biggest smile he could. It amazed her how similar he looked to his former self, the only thing that had changed was his clothes. He still had that annoyingly gorgeous smile with a permanent glint in his eye.

Arthur... was oblivious like always. She was already miffed at the fact that she was going to have to de-prat him again. There was no way she was going to deal with another decade of secrets from Arthur. That being said she could wait at least a couple of days and see if he remembered on his own.

Merlynn leaned into Percy and whispered in his ear "Five quid says it'll take at least a week to remember." She said with a grin nodding towards the prince.

"I'll take that bet I give him two days tops." Percy smirked back.

"Perce, you're forgetting how thick he can be. I hid MAGIC from him for ten years. No way will he remember in two days." She giggled earning a glare from both Gaius and Arthur. Leon and Gwaine however gave them knowing smiles.

Gaius wrapped up his lecture and dismissed the class, "Merlynn, May I have a word with you before you go please?" he asked the students started to file out of the class. She nodded in response.

She turned back to Percival and whispered conspiratorially, "Meet you all outside in 5 minutes? I'm sure you can stall Arthur for at least that long." She finished with a wink, and he responded with a nod and a small smile.

She walked up to the front of the classroom and smiled at the man who had been like a father to her in the past and was now to be a guiding hand in the present.

"So, I see you've met your Destiny… Again. I won't hold you but you should come by tomorrow during my office hours so we can talk about the implications of the return of the Once and Future King." he put a hand on her shoulder.

"I will see you tomorrow for sure." She started as she began walking towards the door "Gaius, it really is good to see you." She waved goodbye as she walked out the classroom door and into the hallway.

She exited the science building and saw her Knights at the bottom of the stairs. She ran full speed towards them and jumped into Gwaine's arms immediately. "I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" she was then lifted out of his arms by two large arms.

"What am I chopped liver?" Percy added while laughing.

"Yes!" Leon exclaimed stealing her away from their giant friend.

"Let them have their fun Leo! They haven't seen me in forever, you saw me a few years ago." She laughed in his arms.

"5 years or 1500 years I'm still allowed to miss my Best Friend!" he responded.

"WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" Arthur yelled in confusion. His bodyguards were acting like children, and that simply wouldn't do.

"Seriously Princess?" Gwaine started before Merlynn's hand covered Gwaine's mouth.

She whispered in his ear, "He doesn't remember yet, Perce and I have a wager on when he will figure it out. I say at least a week he says no more than two days. You in?" she informed her friend.

"Put me down for three days, there's no way it will take longer than that." He responded with a wink.

She turned to address the men around her "Well boys, I've got Maths in twenty min and it's on the other side of campus. Leon you have my number you can give it to Gwaine and Percival. On second thought, give it to Arthur too we are gonna be lab partners it's better if he has it. Ta for now!" she blew them a kiss and then headed towards her doom.

Calculus.


End file.
